Love Over Mind
by hullosweetpea
Summary: Miraculously, Steve was found in 1947, but forty years later tragedy strikes when Peggy goes missing on a mission and it punches him in the gut. Unable to deal with the pain Steve escapes from all that reminds him of her and ends up staying in the dorm room of a certain disgruntled teen. T plus for violence and Stark's mouth.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I don't know where I got this idea, but it's currently turned into my new baby. I like the concept, I'm passionate, and I love writing for it. I hope you all love it too! **

Chapter One

May 23, 1947

Peggy was filing a report after completing her current mission when Howard rushed into the S.H.I.E.L.D. office with a look of shock and happiness on his face. She shut the filing cabinet and turned towards him. "What is it Howard? I thought you were in France."

He rested a hand on the doorframe, trying to catch his breath. "We found him."

Peggy froze. "Howard, you and your team couldn't find him. You looked all over. Are you alright?"

He smiled and wrapped her into a hug. "Of course! I lied about where I was because I didn't want to get your hope up. We developed a more sensitive detector of Vita radiation. I sent teams out on boats with them and we located his plane the fifth day. I flew down here as fast I could to get you before he's thawed out."

Peggy took a deep breath and grabbed her coat and hat. "Let's go Stark."

-o-O-o-

Peggy followed Howard down a hallway and he stopped outside a door. "I want to make sure you're prepared for this. I don't want you to panic. As far as we know he's still alive."

"Howard, I've killed people. I have seen people die and they have died in my arms; I can handle this."

He nodded and pushed open the door. Scientists in white coats were rushing around in the lab with clipboards, but the havoc they were creating was nothing compared to the chunk of ice being melted in the middle of the room. It was opaque around the edges, but the middle had a clear look to it distorted by freezing. Right in the center of it Peggy got a glimpse of red, white and blue and her hand quickly went to cover her mouth. "Now I know it's a lot to take in right now, but they're doing their best to get him out," explained Howard.

Peggy rushed forward pass the torches that were melting the thick ice and instead let her eyes rest on the man she had not seen for two years. He looked peaceful as if he was only asleep in a frozen bed; his shield protectively resting on his stomach. Peggy began to feel the heat from the torches being used to melt the ice, inch by inch, to give the world a hero they thought they had lost.

Peggy moved to the side next to Howard who was observing the process. "How long until he'll be out?"

Howard sighed and tapped his fingers on his forearms. "Could be a couple of hours, could be longer. Why don't you get some sleep? I'll have one of my boys wake you up."  
"Fine. But I swear to God Stark if you don't wake me up-"

"Yeah, I know. You'll pull some secret agent stuff on me and I won't even realize I'm handcuffed to a table. Get some rest, Carter."

Peggy gave Stark one last look before letting a young scientist guide her to a quiet, warm, side room where a small cot resided. She didn't realize how tired she was until she hit her head on the pillow and fell asleep.

...

...

"Agent Carter?"

...

"M'am?"

...

"Agent Carter?"

Peggy woke up and grabbed the wrist of the person leaning down by her. She brought their arm around their back and pinned them to her small cot. "Agent Carter, Captain America, uh Captain Rogers, is almost thawed...defrosted...free?"

Peggy looked down at the face of her "assaulter" and recognized him as the man who had guided her back to the room she was occupying. "Sorry, it has been a rough few weeks. I'm ready to leave."

The young man rubbed his arm and led her back out to the open area where a giant block of ice once sat that was now reduced to a Steve sized block. Howard walked over and shooed the young scientist away. "They ETA is about fifteen minutes. Are you ready?"

"God, Howard I'm not sure. When you first told me I was excited, but now." She looked him in the eye. "I was just starting to get over it all, you know? The nightmares were less frequent, I stopped seeing his face everywhere; I thought I was moving on. I had in fact. I'd gone on a few dates and thought I might have found someone, but then he died too. I was questioning if they were dying because of me." She looked back over at the huddled group of people. "Eventually I focused all my attention on my work and look at where I'm at now. I'm working along side you at S.H.I.E.L.D. and it was a godsend because I was becoming my own person. Not Peggy Carter, Captain America's girl, but Peggy Carter, agent of S.H.I.E.L.D." She heavily sighed and looked back at Howard. "But now...who am I going to be after this Stark? Captain America's wife? Agent? Mother? I have no idea. And it frightens me."

Howard wrapped an arm around her shoulder gently and pulled her in for a side hug. "You're going to be the same Peggy Carter. Bad Ass Extraordinaire. When the ol' Capsicle wakes up you'll see."

Peggy lifted an eyebrow. "Capsicle?"

"He's a captain. He was frozen. Icicle. Work with me Carter."

"Not anymore than I usually do. Are they almost done?"

He gestured over towards them. "Do you wanna look and see?"

Peggy walked over, her high heels clicking, setting her apart from the men. She worked her way to the front so she could see Steve more clearly. They were almost completely finished, in fact all they had left was his head and they were almost done. As an impulse she grabbed for his hand and wasn't surprised that it was ice cold. She heard a sharp crack and Steve gasped straight up against the table before falling back down. "What was that?"

"Just a reflex, Agent. We still need to shock him," explained a scientist.

"Shock?!"

She watched as a large box was rolled over beside the bed and Howard flipped a switch and took two paddles off of it. Another sliced open the front of Steve's suit and pushed the material to the side to expose his skin. "Clear," shouted Howard before placing the paddles on Steve's chest and squeezing the triggers to send bolts of electricity through his heart. He looked to his right at the monitors they had him hooked up to and waited. Just as he was about to repeat the process small blips were heard and the line danced on the screen. Howard sighed loudly and had everyone else ushered out of the room. He walked over to Peggy and draped an arm across her shoulders. "He'll probably be unconscious for a few days. We're flying him to my place in New York once we know he'll stay stable; I assume you're coming with us?"

"Of course," replied Peggy.

-o-O-o-

All of Steve hurt, but it didn't. It felt like he was floating, but that he was being sliced by a thousand tiny crystals. He tried to breath, but it burned his lungs. Then suddenly his last breath didn't hurt. Or the next one. Or the next one. His eyes began to burn and he knew he should open them, so he did.

_ Peggy_.

She was sitting on the edge of his bed gently stroking his hand. She smiled when she notice his eyes flutter open. "Steve, are you all right?"

He managed to sit up and he rubbed his head. "Yeah, but I feel like I've had this crazy dream."

He noticed Peggy bit her lip. "You've been asleep for awhile."

"How long?"

"Two years," she whispered.

Steve stared across at Peggy, then down at his hands and then out the window. "Well I'm glad you woke me up."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank you to all the response for the first chapter! I was a bit uneasy about this story, but I figured I would post this second chapter as a thank you. I can't promise when the next one will be up. **

Chapter Two

April 15, 1987

Steve was panting as he landed on the ground from the two-story fall. He didn't have much time and began his sprint towards the plane that had already started up. He jumped aboard, shutting the door behind himself, and the plane took off. The burning building was just a dark smudge on the Earth as they rose higher in the sky. "Nice timing, Captain," said the pilot.

"Thanks," mumbled Steve between labored breaths, "you too."

Steve didn't recognize this pilot; he was new and young. All of the pilots Steve used to work with were dead or retired. He knew something was different about him when all of those around him started to grey and he didn't. Howard ran some tests and the best answer he could give him was that it was because of the super soldier serum. He also had a hunch that it might have been what kept him alive under the ice as well. Whatever the case was, Steve only looked five years older from when he received the super soldier serum in comparison to his colleagues; on a good day it was unnerving, on a bad day it was maddening.

Steve finally caught his breath and he leaned back in the seat as the plane whisked him away to Washington D.C.: home base, HQ, and where their first apartment was located. The Rogers owned an apartment in Brooklyn for when Steve and Peggy weren't on call and Howard wanted them to stop by. They also had a small summer cottage in England where Steve would draw and Peggy would retell childhood stories.

Peggy, she would be waiting for him when he got back to their apartment. He knew she hated not getting to go on as many missions as she used, especially since his amount of missions never decreased. In fact, in light of the recent HYDRA discovery, they increased. Peggy was still a top agent, but she spent more of her time training agents than being out on the field. He knew she rather be out in the field saving lives and nations. And figuring out the inner workings of the Black Widow program.

He ran a hand down his face, smearing the sweat and soot. The building had been a HYDRA laboratory and Steve happily burned it down, remembering what they had done to Bucky during the war. Steve had a few formulas burning a hole in his pocket just waiting to be analyzed by Howard.

He figured he had more than a couple hours until they landed in D.C. so he snuggled down and tried to get some sleep.

...

He felt like he was drowning, great sheets of steely water crashing down on him. He gasped as he tried to catch his breath, but he realized he had weights tied to his ankles. He tried to lift his foot up to untie one, but his legs felt sluggish and he thrashed as he tried to reach it. White and black spots danced in his vision and he fumbled his fingers as he tried to at least swim forward. He saw a hazy light break through the steely grey and he swam towards it. With a rush and a heaving gasp he broke the surface and he sucked panicked, deep breaths in. Chest heaving and water dripping he noticed he was in an interrogation room. A blonde woman with an aggressive streak of grey in her hair walked slowly around him. He tried to follow her, but he was tied to a chair bolted down to the floor. He felt something cold placed on the back of his head and he didn't even need to look to see what it was. It wasn't the first time he had been in this situation. What was different was the warm hand caressing his face from his ear down to his jaw and stopping lightly on his chest. He felt his breath catch as another woman stepped out from behind while the chilling metal still bit his head. Peggy. With a determined face, but crying eyes, she slowly lifted a gun to her head and pulled the trigger-  
Steve jackknifed up in his seat and felt the impression his beating heart was hammering in his chest.

"You all right," asked the pilot.

Steve took a deep breath and let it out. "Fine," he lied through his teeth.

"We'll be landing in two minutes."

"Sure," he replied trying to brush off the conversation and make sense of his dream. He tried to rub the sleep from his eyes and was surprised by the tears that had tracked down his face. He attempted to erase any sign they were there, but he knew his efforts were futile. Everyone else might be fooled, but she never was. Peggy could always tell.

The plane began its descent and in a matter of minutes touched down outside of the government building. Steve stepped out and was surprised by the people waiting for him. He was expecting Howard, but not Fury. By the expression on his face, the newly appointed director hadn't planned on meeting Steve here either. He pulled the papers out and handed them to Howard. He looked both of them in the eye. "Where's Peggy? She was suppose to meet me here."

Fury and Howard looked at each other nervously. Howard stepped closer to Steve and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "While you were gone a mission came up. One that fell with the uh Black Widow program."

Steve pushed Howard away and stared at them in disbelief. "No," he whispered.

Fury cleared his throat. "Agent Carter went on her own. We haven't heard anything from her since she left."

Howard looked at Steve with pity in his eyes. "She was supposed to come back two days ago. Instead a package arrived with this inside." Howard gently sat the object in Steve's hand. The dry blood coating the grooves marred the gold and diamond glittering in the setting sun's rays.

Peggy's engagement ring.

"I'm sorry, Steve," whispered Howard.

Steve wrapped his hand around her ring. "We sent a team after her with her last known location. We know you'd want to go after her, but you can't. Not only might we need you for something else, but...it's the Black Widow program," explained Fury.

He didn't have to say anything more. Steve knew they always sent woman after the Black Widows. More covert.

He tried to wet his dry throat, but it was all too much. "Peggy...," he finally croaked out. 

**A/N: It's about to get very real soon. Hope you're all ready for the emotional trip. **


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thank for all of the love from last chapter! This chapter is where the story gets a bit darker, so I issues a precautionary Kleenex warning. **

Chapter 3

April 16, 1987

He woke up wheezing and clawing, trying to catch his breath. The image of Peggy staring at him with her teary eyes as she pulled the trigger haunted his mind. He gripped the blankets in frustration and felt something sticky. He looked at his hands in the pale moonlight and noticed they were dark and glistening, his palms holding small puddles. The smell of metal permeating the air. He reached over to turn on the lamp and noticed the way it dripped languidly off his hands and on to the nightstand. The weak light casted shadows onto his side of the bed, but it was enough.

_Sticky._

_Smearing._

_Dripping._

**Blood**

His heartbeat rose and he looked over at Peggy's side of the bed and screamed.  
She stared at him with cold, soulless eyes wide open. Blood oozed from the bullet hole in her head and seeped through their blankets and sheets. The angle her head was placed on the pillow caused her mouth to be slightly open. Her red lips matching the fresh, wet blood, which looked even brighter compared to the blood drying in her hair. With trembling fingers he reached out and-

Steve screamed himself awake. He violently turned on the light and sighed with relief on discovering Peggy wasn't there; however, the metallic odor clung to the air. Steve walked into the bathroom, turning on the light and looked at himself in the mirror.  
Nail marks scraped down his arms in long streaks and his lip was a bloody mess. He looked down at his hands and saw his skin and blood embedded under his nails. His palms were marred and littered with deep, red half crescents.

Steve started the tap and let water splash over his hands and the sides of the sink basin. He sloshed water over and over his face; droplets racing down his arms and his chest. Blood tinged the water as it swirled down the drain. He watched in the mirror as the cuts began the slow process of healing.

He turned off the light and crawled back into their bed, still warm from where he had been. Steve tried to burry himself farther and deeper into the bed, but it was no use. With heavy eyelids he got out of bed and pulled clothes out of the dresser and shucked off his pajamas. It was too much for him. Her horror struck face engraved in his mind. Her perfume lingering on her pillow and sheets. He had to get away, as far away as he could go. He quickly put a bag together: clothes and weapons haphazardly tossed together. He locked the door to the apartment and raced down to the ground floor.

A light mist fell as he revved up his motorcycle and tore off in to the night towards the highway. The streets were quiet and a majority of the cars sat dormant, waiting for the sun to rise. Steve drove, not thinking about where he was going; just kept driving north.

The mist picked up into a light shower and threatened to soak Steve as rivulets poured in between the collar of his leather jacket and his shirt. His headlight created patterns in the falling drops and danced across their reflective surfaces. He wiped water away from his face and drops fell down his nose and ran down the curves of his face to the corners of his mouth. At times his salty tears mixed with the fresh rain.

He sped through quiet towns and humming cites, continuing on his trip North. He drove through state after state; only stopping at a twenty-four hour gas station to refill his tank, but he left quickly. The roar of his motorcycle's engine and the whipping of the wind from the speed were the only noise that cut through the quiet morning. He drove as the night sky turned from a deep navy blanket dotted with bright light, to purple with faded stars, to finally an early periwinkle edged with pink and orange where the sun was rising.

The early morning light broke through the night drizzle and reflected in the droplets. It gleamed off the chrome on Steve's motorcycle creating a rainbow effect on his arm.

He hadn't through of Peggy at all until he finally reached the city where his destination lied. He slowed down and began to weave through the early morning traffic; each stop light giving him time to think. At one light he looked to his right and saw a display for a dress shop with a red dress in the middle. He was caught in such a daze he didn't know the light changed until the drivers behind him began to honk their horns.

He followed the signs until he reached the parking lot and he idled down as he parked. Slinging his bag on his back he walked towards the entrance and a man happened to see him and held the door open for him. Steve mumbled a thanks and started to hustled up the stairs. Four flights up and three doors down he had finally reached his destination. Just as he was about to knock he was reminded that without Peggy he wouldn't know where to look. She insisted that they know where it was. Just in case.

He knocked in a quick, three time repeated fashion. He waited a bit, before trying again. "All right, all right," muttered a voice behind the door. He heard the lock click out of place and the door creak open. The dark haired teenager rolled his eyes and leaned his body against the doorway, arms crossed. "What are you doing Stars and Stripes? Did Dad send you?"

Steve sighed and just almost, barely, managed the quirk of a facial expression that wasn't a stone-faced frown. "No Tony, it's something much bigger than that." 


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Wow, so this story was put in a community, which is totally cool. I'm not quite sure what that means, but since this is my first story to ever do that I feel pretty proud of it, if anyone would explain it that would be awesome. Thank you to whoever did that! Also thank you to the new follows and favorites! **

Chapter 4

April 16, 1987

Tony stood up a little straighter, but his arms still crossed and expression sour. "I'm getting the impression you're not leaving anytime soon, so you might as well come in." He moved to the side to let Steve pass through. The dorm room had one bed in the center and one noticeably shoved to the far corner. Posters for bands and sports cars hung on the wall, small colonies of clothes congregated on the floor, and food wrappers were shoved to the edges of furniture. Several projects lay abandoned on the floor and one lay on the desk under a lamp.

Steve heard his shoes squelch on the floor and decided to sit on the desk chair, so he didn't get anything wet. Tony plopped himself on a messy bed and looked over at Steve. "So, how bad is it Uncle Steve?"

He sighed and ran his hands through his rain soaked hair. "I don't know where to start. So much has happened at once."

"Just sum it up and remember I've dealt with my dad's shit. I can handle whatever you throw at me."

"And that's part of the problem."

Tony snorted and his face changed to a smug grin. "What'd my old man screw up now?"

"You really shouldn't talk about your father like that."

"You didn't travel almost five hundred miles just to lecture me about my pops. What did you really-"

"Peggy."

Tony tensed. "Oh," he whispered softly.

Steve looked down at his hands and interlocked his fingers. "She...she went on a mission. Solo. Black Widow."

"Shit."

"Yeah, and now...they can't find her. She left after I did and she was supposed to come back before I did. They sent her...well this."

He pulled the ring from his pocket and dropped it into Tony's hand. The teen examined the golden circle and his eyes grew wide. "Oh fuck."

"Um yeah, and I just couldn't bring myself to stay in the apartment. If Howard knew he would insist I stay with him, but I've spent too much time with him and Peggy."

Tony handed Steve back the ring and sighed. "Why me?"

Steve looked up from the ring in his hand. "What about you?"

"You know how many people would love to have Captain America stay with them? I'm pretty sure any of the women at the S.H.I.E.L.D. base would kill for the chance. Hell, even that new agent Coulson would so you'd sign his trading cards. Why choose to stay with an antisocial teenager with 'problems' his own Dad doesn't want to talk about?"

Steve sighed and looked at Tony. "That's why. You've never seen me as Captain America, a hero. You see me as the man who took your attention away from your father; always first in your father's eyes. The others would have given me pity; I'm done with pity."

Tony didn't say anything and walked over to a bookshelf and pulled two thick books out revealing a bottle of scotch. "You want some?"

Steve scowled. "You're underage."

He shrugged and undid the top. "To_may_toes, to_mah_toes. We're not all America's golden boy." He poured a glass and took a long drink, not quite finishing it, before refilling. "And you still didn't answer my question."

Steve sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "Fine."

Tony poured a glass and handed it to him. He took it with a sigh and tipped the glass against his lips, going down smooth. Tony was a Stark: if he was going to drink it would be top end. He found the bottom of the glass quickly and he took the bottle from Tony and poured himself another glass. Tony raised an eyebrow and looked at Steve's grip on the bottle. "You can't get drunk."

Steve stared morosely down at the glass. "Yeah, I know. When does your first class start?"

Tony looked at his clock and groaned. "Ten minutes. Fuck it, I'll skip."

"You need to go to class. It's important," replied Steve sternly.

Tony looked Steve over. "You look like shit and honestly I don't know if I should trust you by yourself in the state you're in. Besides I already know everything; it's more productive if I stay here and work."

"I'll be fine. I just need to sleep is all."

Tony pointed to the bed in the corner. "It's all yours. I'll just be at my desk."

"In a classroom."

Tony glared at Steve before sighing. "Will it make you happy?"

"I'd be nice to know the money your dad is shelling out is going to something."

"And there's the root of the problems. Fine, but only for you. Not my father."

Steve finished his glass. "As long as you go."

Tony scourged his piles of clothes and pulled out a shirt. He slipped it over his head, grabbed a backpack and set of keys and headed to the door. "I guess you'll still be here when I'm back?"

"Yeah," Steve stared back at the glass of scotch, "probably."

"Okay then." Tony left, locking the door behind him.

Steve poured himself another glass and held it in his hand. He sighed before tipping back his head and swallowing every last drop. He sat it down on the desk with a satisfying thunk and rubbed his eyes. He trudged over to the spare bed and collapsed on it. It smelled old and unused; Steve sighed in relief. He didn't even bother to pull up the blanket as he closed his eyes.

**A/N: Don't forget to review! **


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Thanks to the new follows; I always appreciate them. Anyone else excited for Age of Ultron? I get to go tomorrow and I'm totally excited! **

Chapter 5

April 17, 1987

He blinked and squinted under the bright light pointed at him. "Why did you do it?"

"What?"

A woman with her face obscured stepped forward and stared at him harshly. "Why did you abandon her?"

"I didn't. I can't go after her...I can't. I would if I could."

"You poor confused man. Not for that." She walked forward and roughly grabbed his face. "For this."

He tried to get away, but he was frozen to his spot. "You think I like this? I hate it, each and every day."

The woman's face became clear. Peggy. "You know I know, right?"

"I do, Peg. I do."

She smiled sadly and gently caressed his face. "Steve."

Her hand began to crumble and she turned horror struck as it continued up her arm and spread all over body.

He stared in terror as she turned to sand. He tried to move, tried to save her, but he was fixed to his spot.

_ Noooooooooooo_

Steve woke up and was disoriented by the unfamiliar scenery. "Oh, you're up."

He looked over and saw Tony hunched over his desk working on some project. He held his head as he tried to process his dream. "How long did I sleep?"

"It's 12:03," replied Tony as he continued to work.

"In the afternoon?"

"At night."

"Shouldn't you be sleeping?"

Tony swiveled over in his chair to face Steve. "After what I just witnessed I'm not leaving this room tomorrow. Also my dad called wanting to know if you were here. I told him you weren't since I didn't know if this whole thing was a secret, so that should hold him out for a while. I can't promise he won't call again."

"That's fine. Thanks," mumbled Steve. He kept his head rested in hands and he stared at the floor. An uncomfortable silence fell; he heard clinks from Tony's work table as he worked. He heard the swivel of the chair and looked up. Tony was facing him with a look of concern on his face. "What?"

"Um, do you want to...talk? About it? Or anything?"

Steve fell back on the bed and stared at the ceiling. "You don't want to hear my problems. No matter what you say."

"Starting to ice over again Capsicle," joked Tony.

Steve tensed and felt his heart pound against his chest. A buzzing filled his ears and his vision became clouded with clear blue water and steely ice. He felt cold, bone shivering cold, goose bumps peppering his skin. He felt like his lungs were freezing and he gasped for air.

Tony's eyes grew in shock and he knocked over his chair as he ran over to Steve's side. "Oh shit, did I do something? Fuck! What do I do? Damn it, Steve!"

His blue eyes watered and he gripped the sheets as he tried to even his breathing. "Howard?"

"Shit-no it's Tony. You're fine Steve." Tony continued to reassure Steve and he left a comforting hand on his shoulder.

Steve gradually regained control of his breathing and he was able to sit up and wipe the tears that had brimmed in his eyes. "Sorry...it's just...been a lot lately."

Tony grabbed a take-out container from off his desk and handed it to Steve and pulled his desk chair over. "Eat. And then we're talking. After that there is no way in hell that you're staying here without a discussion. No compromise."

Steve opened up the container and held up pita bread stuffed with meat. "What is this?"

"Shawarma in one of its many forms," explained Tony.

He tentatively took a bit and the spices spread across his tongue with its unfamiliar flavor. He continued to eat the sandwich like delicacy as he watched Tony worked. The teen sat hunched over in focus as he made adjustments here and there, sometimes pausing to grab a different wrench or screwdriver. It was uncanny for Steve to watch; it was like watching Howard. All the teen needed was a mustache and a suit.

Steve looked around the mini fridge in hope of something to drink and found a few water bottles shoved to the side. He grabbed one, glad that it was nice and cold. He finished it quickly before grabbing another, not realizing how thirsty he was.

Tony looked over at Steve and swiveled around so he faced him in a better angle. "You feeling any better? Because I don't know if I can handle another...whatever that was early. Is that a common thing?"

Steve moved so he was closer to Tony and absentmindedly grabbed a wrench and began to flip it between his fingers. "Yeah, it's happened every now and then the last couple of years or so. Sometimes I just can't process that Howard and Peggy aren't young anymore; not like me. It can be disorienting if it's really bad. One time me and Peg were on a mission and I looked over expecting to see her younger, but instead she was older. I almost had a panic attack right there out in the field. Don't get me wrong, I love Peggy and I'm glad I've gotten to spend this time with here. It's just...I feel cheated. We were supposed to grow old together, but we're not. Your dad did some tests one time and he said it's just a part of the serum." Steve stopped and stared blankly out. "I saw her struggle once. It was the last mission we did together and we had been running a lot. I looked over and she was leaning against a wall trying to catch her breath. I offered to go slower, but she refused. After that we stopped going on missions together. She tries so hard not to show it, but I know it hasn't been easy for her. Now she's gone and I'm not there to help her. If it was ten years ago I might not be as worried, but it isn't. She's S.H.I.E.L.D.'s oldest agent, but I don't know how much longer she can keep going on. Five years? Ten? Fifteen? I don't know." Steve slammed his fist down on Tony's desk causing everything on top of it to rattle and shake. "It just hurts. It fucking_ hurts_."

Tony stared wide eyed at Steve. "Um...can I have my wrench back?"

Steve looked down and saw the wrench was now a mangled, twisted piece of metal. "Sorry," he croaked as he sat it down at the table.

For a while nothing was said. Tony opened his mouth a few times as if to speak, but he didn't. He cleared his throat and the noise pierced the silence. "Do I make it worse?"

Steve looked up at Tony. "How?"

"Because I look so much like him? I mean, you already mistook me for him earlier."

Steve nodded. "Yes, but... I never wanted to burden you with it."

Tony slowly nodded his head. "Okay." He went back to his project, not saying anything.

Steve walked over to the bookshelf and pulled out the bottle of scotch and grabbed a glass before filling it to the brim. He tipped it back and downed the whole glass in one gulp. He looked down at the bottom of the glass and stared at his reflection: strong jaw, smooth face, just a trace of stubble, troubled blue eyes.

He gripped the glass and with a terrible, broken scream he threw it at the wall, scaring Tony and causing him to quickly spin around. Steve watched as it shattered and bits of glass sparkled in the light as they fell to the floor.

Steve fell to his knees and began to sob. 

**A/N: Don't forget to review! **


	6. Chapter 6

**Thanks for all the new follows, favorites and those reviews! You guys are always putting a smile on my face. And Age of Ultron was so awesome! It's totally put me on an Avenger kick for writing. **

**Guest Review: Thanks!**

Chapter 6

She looked at him with pity in her eyes. He couldn't understand why she would. "How are you feeling today? I know it hasn't been easy."

His eyebrows scrunched together in confusion. "I'm fine, but," he ran a hand through her thick, dark hair, "what happened to you?"

Her face became twisted in confusion. "What do you mean?"

He gently ran his hand down her face and cupped her face in both his hands. "You're younger. What happened?"

She reached up and held his hands. "Are you sure you're alright? You hit your head pretty hard yesterday."

That explained the throbbing pain he felt. "Yeah, but you." He curled a piece of her hair around his finger. "What happened?"

"I've always looked like this. Should I get a doctor?"

"No I'm fine." He tried to stand up, but he found it a tad difficult. She rushed to his side to help support him up. "I can manage. You don't need to help me."

She dropped her arms and bit her bottom lip in despair. "You don't remember?"

"What?"

She walked over to the side of the room and pushed a full length mirror over to him. He looked in the mirror and couldn't help, but let out a gasp. Lightly wrinkled skin, faded blue eyes, grey streaked blonde hair, curled fingers. He reached up to touch his face and felt the soft, wrinkled skin. Upon a second glance he noticed he was in a wheelchair. "What happened," he whispered.

She let out a small sigh and grabbed one of his hands. "Howard said you might have trouble remembering recent events. Two months ago you went on a mission and...you fell from a plane. You had been fighting with someone and he knocked you out of the plane. You landed on your back and," she paused to take a deep, shaking breath, "you broke it. You were rushed to the hospital, but they couldn't do anything. You were paralyzed from the waist down. Yesterday you were trying to go up a set of stairs because there was no ramp and you fell back down the stairs. I'm sorry."

He took a deep breath and looked in her eyes. "But what about you? Why are you young?"

"During the war I was attacked during a raid. I was stabbed with an experimental drug that was supposed to kill, but instead has kept me young."

He gripped her hand tighter. "But I was the one experimented on."

She kissed him softly and brushed his hair away from his eyes. "I know it's been hard, but I'm here."

He held her in his arms. "I know, but that doesn't answer my question."

Her eyes brimmed with tears, but they didn't fall. "I'm sorry."

"Sorry?"

She closed her eyes and shook her head before running out of the room. He grabbed the sides of the wheels and pushed himself forward. He tried to follow her out of the room, but the hallway was dark and it was difficult to see. He kept going forward and forward into the darkness.

...

...

...

She smiled at him and cupped his face again and pressed a soft kiss to his lips. "I love you."

He smiled and kissed her on her forehead. "I love you." He lowered himself down so his face was level with her stomach. "And I love him too."

She grinned and gently punched his shoulder. "You don't know if it's a boy."

He looked up at her and kissed her stomach again. "I can feel it. You wait."

She ran her hand down her full abdomen. "You might not have to. I feel like I'm about to pop."

"The doctor said it should be any day now." He pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her carefully. He began to shuffle left and right, hips swaying. She smiled and took his hand and began to dance with him. They rotated slowly around the freshly painted nursery; her head resting on his shoulder. He rubbed his hand down her back comfortingly, but suddenly he felt her tense.

He gently pushed her back a bit so he could see her face. "Are you alright?"

She grimaced again and breathed a bit heavier. "I think I'm in labor."

In that moment he felt both nervous and excited. He grabbed her bag, helped her to the car and drove with both little and no regard to the other cars. Parking lot, emergency room, reception, the final kiss, then waiting.

Waiting.

Waiting.

Siting in the waiting room, nervously running his fingers between each other and his hair. Occasionally looking at his watch.

Waiting.

Waiting.

Then a somber looking doctor came out. He stood up and walked over to the doctor. The doctor told him, putting him in a daze. He numbly walked back to the room where she was. As he entered he felt the temperature drop and there she was. Sitting stone faced in a bed, stomach noticeably a little smaller. He leaned down and gently gave her a kiss and rubbed circles on the back of her hand. She would never cry here; she barely did in front of him. He knew the moment they were home she would. Finally she spoke. "It was a boy," she whispered.

A nurse came in holding a small bundle, her own face tear tracked. "Would you like to hold him?"

He nodded and she gently placed the bundle in his arms. He sat down next to Peggy and leaned his forehead against hers. "James Abraham Rogers." He opened his mouth to say more, but all that came out was a strangled sob and the tears he had been trying to hold back fell.

It rained the day he was buried.

Later Howard explained that it was likely the child was still born because of the serum and that it was probable it would happen to any other children they tried to have.

He explained it in soft whispers to her as they sat on the couch in front of the fireplace. He murmured the words to her as he ran his fingers through her hair gently. It was then she finally let her tears go and he held her close. He closed his eyes and let his fall with hers.

...

...

...

He looked over and saw the engineer smiling over at him. "Hey Stars and Stripes check out the new uniform I made for you."

He smiled and walked over to the work table were pieces of a uniform were spread out. "I see you kept the red, white and blue."

"You wouldn't be Captain America without it."

He looked over to smile at the engineer, but he froze. "Howard?"

The teen frowned at him. "Are you okay Uncle Steve?"

His head began to hurt and he couldn't hear anything the budding engineer was saying. He fell on his knees in pain and lowered his head to the floor in hope that it would alleviate his pain. Suddenly he saw blue and grey; sharp pinpricks of pain and cold jutted across his body. He tried to catch his breath, but all he swallowed was mouthfuls of salty water. His chest began to constrict and he flailed as his vision went dark. 


	7. Chapter 7

**A/n: Thank you to the new follows/favs, and reviews from the last chapter. Also this story was put in another community, so that makes me happy. This chapter is a bit angst like the last one, but I still hope you all enjoy over all .**

**Guest Review:**

**Guest: Thank you**

Chapter 7

April 18, 1987

Steve woke up gasping for air. He leaned forward and tried to slow his breathing down to a reasonable pace. He looked over at Tony and saw that he had fallen asleep at his desk, wrench still in one hand, and mouth slightly open with the smallest bit of drool escaping. The angry red numbers on the alarm clock announced it was only 3:16.

Steve crawled out of the bed and navigated his way from Tony's room to the bathroom. The tiled room was barren and his heavy footsteps echoed across the room. A few showers lined one wall and he walked into one. He shut the curtain and threw his clothes past the hanging vinyl as he took them off. He turned the knob on the hot water as far as it would go and the steamy spray hit his chest. He let out a sigh and slid down the wall to sit on the floor.

He sat numb as the hot water assaulted him, no matter how hot it was getting.

He hadn't thought about it in years. When they first learned Peggy was pregnant they were excited. They had had several conversations beforehand about if they even wanted kids. They agreed that they would see what would happen with one. Peggy understood that she wouldn't be able to work while she was pregnant or for a few months afterwards, but they decided they would have Howard and his new wife Maria watch the child if they were on a mission. The couple happily agreed as they were deciding if they wanted to have a child.

The following nine months went by quickly and each day Peggy was growing bigger. They spent the last two months deciding on what to name the child. For a girl the couple settled on Alice Eleanor, but for a boy Steve convinced Peggy to let him pick it out and she agreed. He didn't want to tell her until the baby arrived to keep it a surprise.

The next year after James was still born had been hard for the both of them. Both Howard and Steve agreed it would be best to have Peggy take some time off from S.H.I.E.L.D. and she complied. Steve wanted to, but he was too much of an asset for the organization. He knew she was just as strong as him, but he hadn't carried James for nine months and knew she felt different about it. Like it was her fault, but Steve knew it was his. Some days Steve would come back from a mission and find Peggy staring at the closed door to the nursery or sitting despondent in their bed. He would make her a cup of tea and encourage her to have some toast as he sat there with her, holding her.

He heard her sobbing when she though he couldn't hear and it broke his heart. He spent many times wondering what the two of them had ever done to deserve this fate.

Two months afterwards Peggy announced she wanted to go back to work. It was then that her obsession with hunting down members of the Black Widow program began. At first nobody noticed as she just took any job that involved a female assassin. At one point in time Peggy was gone for three months under cover and when she came back she never talked to Steve about it.

Nearing the anniversary of James's death a mission came up where a blonde, female assassin had taken out three government officials from different countries and was rumored to be in America. S.H.I.E.L.D. wanted a two person team to go and hunt her down and bring her back to base to interrogate about the Red Room. Peggy volunteered and Steve requested to go with her. They spent two weeks tracking her down and it was Peggy who found her. The couple had tracked her down to an abandoned building and split up to find her. Steve was searching a room when he heard the first gunshot and he ran in the direction of it. When he found the room where the sound had originated in Peggy and the woman were on the floor fighting; she trying to stab at Peggy, Peggy trying to keep her from finding an opening. Steve tried to intervene, but the blonde shot Steve in the knee. He crumpled to the floor as pain flared up his leg and he tried to crawl over to help Peggy.

It was then the woman made a comment about how Peggy couldn't have a child and she froze. The blonde tried to take advantage of her hesitation, but Peggy flipped her over and pinned her to the floor. Without a second thought she pulled her gun out and put a bullet to her head.

She let the woman's body go limp and then she walked over to help Steve up, blood slicked on her hands. He didn't say anything on the trip back to D.C. or when they filled out a report. When he asked later she explained she knew the woman as Dottie and she was responsible for killing a former colleague. It was after that incident Steve had Peggy go to the S.H.I.E.L.D. psychologist and he did too.

It took a while, but they got better and when Howard and Maria announced they were expecting the couple were excited for them.

Steve shook as the water poured down his back in sheets as he relieved those memories. The pain had been unbearable then, but was worse now that he didn't know where Peggy was. The water turned icy cold and Steve decided it was time to leave. He didn't have a towel, so he threw on his clothes and took sopping steps back to Tony's room where he found some towels and managed to get a little dry. He changed into different, less wet clothes and drank another glass of scotch. It took a bit of hunting, but he found a sketch pad amongst Tony's belongings and he began to draw. He settled on to the bed and continued on drawing in the pale moonlight coming in from under the blinds.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Thank you for the response from the last chapter and I hope you enjoy! **

Chapter 8

April 18, 1987

Steve filled the first sketchbook he found and then half of the other one he found before Tony woke up. "Morning," he said a little groggily as he stretched in the chair and rolled his neck around. In fact he made a bit of a big production of stretching. "How did you sleep?"

"Fine," lied Steve as he continued to sketch.

Tony rolled over and tried to look over Steve's shoulder. "Can I see?"

"No," said Steve a bit rushed as he brought the sketchbook closer to his chest to obscure it from Tony's view.

"Sorry, didn't mean to rile you up." Tony looked around the room before mumbling an "aha!" and pulling out a box of strawberry Pop Tarts from a basket. He opened up the box, pulled a sprinkled covered delicacy out and munched on it while he watched Steve. "Do you want one," he offered, Pop Tart spraying from his mouth.

He thought about the scotch he had earlier in the morning and grabbed the extended box as it was a better option. He devoured the jammy pastry and had two more as he sketched the burning HYDRA building. He worked on creating the wispy, swirling smoke as he tried to balance the Pop Tart with the other hand. He stopped and looked at Tony. "Do I make it worse?"

"What?"

"Your relationship with Howard."

Tony frowned and turned away from him. He sat down on his bed and faced away from Steve.

Steve sighed and sat the sketchbook. "Don't be like that Tony. I already laid my heart out to you yesterday. It's okay to let your feelings go."

Tony turned around and looked hurt. "Don't give me that bullshit old man. If I had told you that when you first came you would have decked me. I just don't like talking about my father, okay."

He turned back around leaving Steve feeling cold. "I know it's hard. He spends a lot of time at S.H.I.E.L.D. and not a lot at home. I know a lot of his time is spent with me or Peggy and I know it's my fault."

"Will you just shut up," muttered Tony.

Steve felt his efforts were being wasted, but then he caught glance of the sketchbook. He grabbed the book and sat down next to Tony. In a last ditch effort he opened it up to the first page and place it into Tony's lap.

The teen looked down out of curiosity and frowned. "Why did you draw Aunt Peggy pregnant?"

Steve sighed and mentally prepared himself. "There was a time I was going to be a father, but the child was still born. Later your dad did some tests on me and Peggy and they showed that because of me Peggy could conceive, but the child would always die."

"Uncle Steve, I never knew. I'm so sor-"

"Don't," interrupted Steve sternly. "You don't need to apologize. Later when your mom was pregnant with you Howard was a nervous wreck. He was afraid the same thing that happened to Peggy would happen to Maria. You should have seen him, but when you were born you could see the love." He briefly paused. "Working for S.H.I.E.L.D. isn't an easy job, especially for your father. He has a lot of demons haunting him. He's the man that designs the weapons. He knows that for every person we kill in the field is just more blood on his hands. I'm not saying that your relationship is going to be fixed with an 'I'm sorry'. I'm not saying I know how it feels. And I'm not saying any of this to get you to pity him. I'm only saying that if I've put strain on your relationship, I'm sorry."

Tony didn't say anything for a while as he stared down at the drawing of Peggy. "I guess I've always know that. When I was younger I thought it was cool that my dad was friends with Captain America, but as I got older I realized he really wasn't spending as much time at our house as I thought. When he suggested I go to college early I snapped up the chance. I thought it would be great, but he kept holding all these expectations in me and I hated it. Especially at parties where he would show me off like I was just another fucking car. I've grown a bit since then and now I know he was probably drunk and stressed and hurt." Tony sighed and fell back on his bed so he was staring at the ceiling. "Besides always taking things apart and making them better and just inventing and innovating, me and him have nothing in common." He looked over at Steve. "And I think that's why I resented you the most. You had more in common with him than I did. You fought in the war with him. You worked with him. You were there at the bad moments and the good. And even after that you were always the first one he went too. I know you really can't talk about war trauma and whatever with your kid, but being there is a completely different thing."

Steve fell back on the bed so he was lying next to Tony. When he looked up at the ceiling he noticed Tony had affixed glow-in-the-dark stars up there. He grinned just a bit at the idea of the teen standing on top of his bed trying to reach up just an inch more to stick a star up there. Tony looked over at Steve and saw his grin. "Well shit, you got me to tell you what you wanted."

Steve shrugged his shoulders casually. "I think it's my All-American, golden boy appeal."

Tony smiled and punched him in the shoulder. "Just steal the words right out of my mouth, jerk."

Steve felt a sad twinge of pain at the name, but knew Tony wouldn't know about it. The two didn't say anything; they just stayed on the bed and stared at the ceiling for awhile. "So are we good?"

Tony sat up and handed Steve back the sketchbook. "About as good as we'll ever get in our fucked up lives." 


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Last month this story got over a 1,000 reviews, so thank you to all who read! Thanks for the reviews as well, they always brighten my day!**

Chapter 9

April 18, 1987

After they talked it was fairly peacefully for the rest of the day. Steve sat on what was now his bed and Tony continued to work on whatever it was he was building. In fact it was so quiet that when the phone rang it made both of them jump. Tony scrambled to pick it up after the second ring. "Hello?" He paused and tensed a bit at whoever was calling. "Dad, I already told-"

Steve noticed Tony cringe at whatever it was Howard was saying. Tony held the phone out away from him and Steve could faintly hear that it was Howard on the line, but not what he was saying.

Tony placed the receiver back by his ear. "Yeah, I know it was stupid, but he told me to. If I hadn't I would have said something. Sorry."

Steve watched as Tony relaxed and a small smile crept to just the corner of his lips. "Well, thanks. You called for him though, right?"

Tony nodded and held the phone out. "It's for you."

Steve slide over Tony's bed and grabbed the phone, making sure he didn't tangle his long legs in the cord. "Howard?"

"Steve, what are you doing?"

"What kind of question is that," asked Steve, a bit offended.

"Everyone's been trying to find you. Fury has agents trying to track you down. D.C., Brooklyn, anywhere you might have been able to go. I was the only one who thought you might be with Tony, so when I called the first time I didn't suspect too much. Coulson just got done going through S.H.I.E.L.D. surveillance for the area around the campus and found a clip of you on the grounds. Steve...is it about Peggy?"

Steve sighed. "I couldn't do it. I tried, I did, but I couldn't stay in that apartment without her. I needed a place where I could keep my head clear. It's been...okay. I've had my moments."

He heard Howard sigh. "But my son? Of all places, why there?"

"I don't know. It...it just wasn't Peggy. I just needed to get away. Is there any news about her?"

"No, but they're doing the best they can. Steve...you do understand that if something would have happened and you weren't there when you were needed...it could have been bad."

"Trust me when I say this Howard. I would have been of no help to anyone the last couple of days. Tony can attest to that. I just needed different."

"You aren't coming back are you?"

"Not until Peggy is."

Howard groaned. "How am I supposed to explain this to Fury? He'll be pissed."

"Tell him the truth. If he needs me so badly he can come here."

"Fine, but Steve, just...remember it might not come out the way we want it to."

"I know Howard, I know."

Howard hung up and Steve put the phone back on the cradle.

"Sooo, how's Dad?"

"Pissed at me, which is understandable, but I think he's gotten over it. If anything, I think he's pissed since I went to you and not him."

"He has to understand though, right?"

"He does, but he's afraid something is going to happen and I'm not going to be there. Him and Fury have a point, but I don't know if I can bare going back to S.H.I. ."

Tony spun in his chair. "Take your time. I don't mind you here."

Steve smiled. "Thanks. I think I'm going to go for a run. Do you need anything while I'm gone?"

"Can you grab some more water bottles? You drank all of mine."

Steve nodded as he laced up his shoes. "Sure."

Tony dropped a couple of bills on the bed next to Steve. "That should cover it. Have fun on your run."

-o-O-o-

Steve jogged around other pedestrians as they strolled along the walkway not heeding him. He forgot how great it felt to just let your feet do the traveling and let your mind wander on something else.

Peggy.

He wasn't sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing that they hadn't found her. Every agent on that mission was trained by her, so they knew her methods, but there was a reason why she's S.H.I.E.L.D.'s best agent. Steve just hoped that she was too good at espionage work and that she wasn't...the alternative. The more he thought about the alternative the faster he ran and his mind started to concoct a plan. He mentally went through a list of pros and cons, but his major obstacle was Howard. However, after their last conversation there was still a chance he could sway him his way. Steve decided then that he was tired of letting his mind rule him; he was going to let his heart call the shots for once. He jogged faster so he could make it back to Tony's dorm room and put his plan into motion.

-o-O-o-

He turned down the hallway and instantly knew something was wrong. There were no students walking around and it was eerily silent. Steve slowly approached Tony's door and pressed his ear against the door. Silence. He frowned. Unless Tony had left he should have heard something. The young engineer was always making some kind of uproar.

Steve slowly turned the handle and opened the door. Nothing. He entered the room and approached Tony's desk. No note, no sign of where he had gone. His project lay abandoned on the desktop. In the gleaming chrome Steve saw the distorted body of an agent, a small red octopus peeking out on the agent's throat. He got a strong grip on the package of water bottles and with the force of turning around quickly slammed it into the head of the agent. He stumbled back from the shock of the blow giving Steve time to dive over the bed and grab his bag. He pulled a hand gun out and flipped over and expertly shot the agent in the shoulder.

The agent muttered a curse and shot at Steve, but missed as he ducked under the bed. He felt a body and turned to see Tony with his finger over his lips and eyes wide in terror. Steve nodded, understanding that the agent didn't know Tony was there. He reached quickly for his bag and pulled a circular disc from inside. He pressed a button and it expanded to a spangled shield. As the agent began to shoot again Steve sprang up from under the bed and began to shoot at the agent.

Tony grabbed Steve's bag and slung it over his shoulder and rushed to hide behind Steve and the shield. Steve shot the agent in the chest and the two sprinted towards the door as the agent crumbled to the floor.

"Steve, what the hell was that," asked Tony as they sprinted down the hallway towards the stairwell.  
"HYDRA. Apparently they're still holding a grudge," explained Steve as they rounded corners down the stairwell. The two burst out the doors of the dorm hall and sprinted for Steve's motorcycle. Steve and Tony hopped on and the motorcycle roared to life as they sped off.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/n: Thank you for all of the reviews and to everyone else thank you for reading. I hope you enjoy!**

Chapter 10

April 18, 1987

The wind whipped their hair as they drove south on the highway. Steve drove as fast as the speed limit allowed as he didn't want to draw attention to himself, but he also wanted to get to his destination by night fall. The rush hour traffic had him going from a snail's pace to a standstill as they wound their way into the city. "Steve, isn't this exactly where they're going to look?"

Steve took a hard right and continued on his way. "Not where we're going."

"But aren't we going to your apartment," asked Tony.

"No, someplace else." Steve made another hard turn before slowing down a bit. "It's got to still be here," he mumbled under his breath.

He looked at row upon rows of buildings before turning left. He parked the motorcycle in a small shed that barely fit it. "Steve, no offense, but this place looks like shit," remarked Tony as he hopped off the motorcycle.

Steve grabbed his bag and slung it over his shoulder. "I'd say it never did, but it hasn't change too much since the last time I was here."

Tony raised an eyebrow. "You've been here before?"

Steve pulled a key from the top of the door frame and put it in the lock to unlock it. "Yeah, it's a secret safe house of mine. Personal. S.H.I.E.L.D. doesn't know I have it and most likely they would throw a hissy fit if they did. I have some supplies in here that might help and we can stay for the night until morning. There's another safe house in Canada that's close by, but not too close to where it is suspicious that it's where we're going."

"Why Canada," asked Tony as he walked over the threshold.

"HYDRA isn't going to expect me to leave the States, or if I do, head towards Russia where Peggy is."

Steve opened a drawer and pulled out a box of matches and lit a kerosene lamp that was sitting out on a table. Tony flopped down on a bed and looked around his surroundings. "How did you even find this place? It looks like it should have been torn down years ago."

Steve poked around the small dresser and pulled out some clothes. "It was my apartment with Bucky when we became adults. If HYDRA knew the connection they probably would be able to find it."

"Oh," said Tony softly.

Steve threw a pile of clothes in Tony's direction. "Here's some gear. I don't want you getting hurt." He jabbed a thumb in the direction behind himself. "Bathroom's that way. One of the only things that still works."

Tony left, letting Steve look around his old place and reminisce, the nostalgia grew thick in the air. He sat down on a bed he had set up and pulled out his gun. He inspected it and learned he was going to need more ammo if they were going to make it to the other safe house, just in case. He opened up a drawer and pulled out a few clips he had just in case. He would take watch later so that Tony could sleep and he didn't want to be unarmed.

Tony came out of the bathroom looking odd in S.H.I.E.L.D. regulation gear, in fact he looked like a new trainee. "Isn't it going to be pretty obvious since this has the damn S.H.I.E.L.D logo on it?"

Steve checked the safety on the gun and put it beside himself. "I'd rather you be safe. Besides, those were standard issue in the late sixties, the design has changed since then."

"And that's supposed to make me feel better?"

Steve sighed, pulled out a pocket knife, and ran the blade around the S.H.I.E.L.D. logo. The patch popped off and landed on the bedspread. "Better?"

Tony fingered the threads left hanging from where the patch was. "I guess."

Steve grabbed his set of spare gear that wasn't bedecked in the Stars and Stripes and headed for the bathroom to change. While the electricity wasn't on anymore, the water still was. He splashed cold water on his face to wake himself up since he was going to have a long night. He stripped off his jogging clothes and slipped on the familiar gear, reminding him of side by side missions with Peggy from years of yore. His fingers pulled zippers, buttoned buttons and fixed straps from muscle memory.

When he looked in the mirror he stared and blinked. There was no difference between the Steve looking back at him now then the Steve who had first worn this uniform. Like with Tony's, Steve cut the patch off so they could not be as easily identified.

Steve walked back out to the main room where Tony was meddling with some kind of technological gadget. His clothes landed with a thud on the bed, startling the young engineer. "I'll be taking watch tonight so you can sleep."

"You were driving most of today, let me take watch," argued Tony as he looked up from his contraption.

Steve grabbed his gun and put it in the new holster. He pulled a chair away from the table and dragged it to the center of the room where he sat down. "Tony, you aren't trained. I'm taking watch."

Tony rolled his eyes and mumbled. "Fine, be the superhero."

Steve watched the door to his left and the only window in the apartment to his right. The sun sunk low behind the skyscrapers and the city's volume lowered to a steady hum as the night progressed.

Tony fell asleep after only a few hours, proving Steve's point. He moved the teen's contraption away from his face, so he could sleep easier. It was silent as Steve waited for the early morning sun to creep through the window. With the apartment shut up, the older gear, and unusually warmer temperature, Steve felt cozy and warm. His eyes began to flutter and then he twitched to wake himself. He hadn't slept well since Peggy had left and he really hadn't slept much the previous night either. Steve's eyes grew heavy and he couldn't fight sleep off anymore.

...

...

...

"It's him! We found him!"

"Hush, he's asleep. Pathetic. Grab him, quickly! And the boy too!"

Steve lifted his eyes and was met with a metal red octopus pin.

_ HYDRA_

Steve grabbed the man closest to him and put him in a headlock. He lifted his knee and started to knee him in the stomach.

"He's awake! Tranq him!"

Steve turned around to see who was talking and he felt a needle jabbed into the crook of his elbow. He began to feel woozy and he fell to his knees. The last thing he saw before the darkness obscured his vision was a Cheshire like grin. 


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Thank you to all who read and review. This chapter is a bit shorter than the others, but hopefully you all still enjoy. **

Chapter 11

April 19, 1987

The slap to the face was what woke him up. The first thing he noticed was that he was heavily restrained: his wrists, ankles, thighs and upper arms all tied down. HYDRA certainly didn't want him leaving any time soon.

"Ahh, it is good to see you again, Captain."

Steve looked at the small man in front of him and remembered him from the files. "Dr. Zola."

Zola grinned. "So you remember? How touching."

"What do you want," asked Steve harshly.

"What everyone wants Captain Rogers. You."

"You were in S.H.I.E.L.D. custody. How did you escape?"

Zola smiled and pointed to a window in front of Steve. "Why don't you say hello to a familiar face? He has been quite the asset."

Steve looked in front through the one way mirror and saw Tony tied to a chair, knocked out. It was the man behind him checking a gun that grabbed his attention. While there was a mask covering most of his face, but there was no way he could forget those eyes.

"Bucky..."

"Yes, and if you don't give us what we want, the asset will make sure to have the little Stark brat begging for his father."

Steve smirked, preparing for the lie. "His father wouldn't care. He's a soulless bastard."

Zola grinned. "Interesting. Well if that doesn't sway you I know what will." Zola spun him around and there was another one way window.

_ Peggy_.

She was chained to a table by her wrists and was hooked up to an IV.

Zola smirked. "We intercepted her on her way to Russia. I applaud you, Captain, you picked quite the fighter."

Steve pulled against his restraints. "You bastard! Let her go!"

Zola laughed. "Not until we get what we want."

Steve frowned. "What is it?"

Zola turned around and busied himself at a metal cart; when he turned back around he was holding a syringe with a large barrel. "Your blood, dear Captain. The secret to the super soldier serum."

Steve looked over at Bucky who was waiting around Tony with a bored expression. "It's seems you've already mastered it."

Zola approached Steve and placed the needle close to his forearm. "Not quite. He could be better. He will be better." Zola plunged the needle into Steve's vein and he flinched at the pain. He pulled up on the depressor Steve watched as his blood flowed up into the barrel of the syringe. With a sadistic grin, Zola pulled the needle out of Steve and blood flowed out. "There, there all done." Zola grabbed some gauze and medicine tape from the cart and patched Steve up. He looked at the syringe full of Steve's blood and he smiled. "Depending on how this goes I will see you again, Captain." Zola left leaving Steve alone.

He watched Tony and Bucky in front of him, neither of them doing anything interesting. Bucky was leaning against the wall that faced Steve, arms crossed. Tony's head was still lulled to the side in what was probably a drug induced state. Steve struggled against the restraints, but nothing happened. The cold metal bit into his skin and his gear.

He threw all his weight to the left and the chair moved just a bit. With his new discovery he threw all his weight to the left again and continued to until he was facing Peggy. She was passed out, most likely in the same drug state Tony was in. There was dried blood in her greying hair and her head was bandaged. Steve felt his heart break as he looked at her.

Seeing her brought new strength in him and he threw his weight to the left again and again, trying to wear the chair out. He made it almost all the way around again when he heard it groan. It was also then that Dr. Zola came back, rolling in a different cart with new horrors on it. "Captain, it was a success!"

Steve watched as Zola rolled the cart up to him. He pulled a telescoping metal pole out of the bottom of cart and extended it. He sat it next to Steve and he began preparing an odd kind of container. "The wonderful thing about this is that it was so easy." He pulled out two different needles and laid them to the left. "Tracking you only took a new HYDRA member. You have gotten sloppy in your old age Captain." Steve didn't say anything. Zola hummed a bit while he fixed an IV to the pole. "So many people want the secret to the super soldier serum: HYDRA, the Black Widows, I wouldn't even be surprised if your precious S.H.I.E.L.D. does, but they just don't want to offend you."

"They promised after the death of Dr. Erskine to not do any tests on me," said Steve.

Zola stuck the IV into the crook of Steve's elbow and he busied himself with the other contraption. "A pity. The U.S. government had a solution to their problems and they didn't take it." He stuck another needle in Steve's forearm. "Just like Americans."

Steve watched as the needle in his forearm drew blood from his body into whatever the hell the box on the cart was.

"I think we'll leave you like that for now," said Zola as he pulled off his gloves, looking even more like a mad scientist.

Steve was alone again, hooked up to an IV, having blood drawn, and no escape. 


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Thank you to all who read!**

Chapter 12

April 19, 1987

"Hey, are you doing okay?"

The sniper gave him a soulless glare. "He fucked with my head. He...he got into my head. He's completely fucked and sadistic. You know how many guys I saw leave that room?"

He shook his head. "I don't."

"None," the sniper spat out, "only me. You know how wrong that is?" He slammed his hand on the bar. "It's completely fucked."

He ordered another round for the two of them. "It'll be okay."

"Like hell."

"I fought all the way from Brooklyn to find you."

He smiled behind his glass. "Guess I didn't take all the stupid with me."

He downed his glass, despite the fact it had no effect on him. It was more out of habit. "Guess you didn't." He paused. "They're letting me put a team together. You up for it?"

He finished off his drink and smiled thickly. "Anything to get revenge on that bastard. I have a score to settle."

But then he was watching as he fell, eyes still on him. His arm was still extended, reaching for him. Everything jerked and spun until he was standing in front of him again and he had a gun to his forehead. "Please, you have to remember."

His words were lost on his ears as he pulled the trigger-

Steve jerked awake breathing heavy. He looked around at his surroundings and stared aghast at the tubes sticking out of his arms. He looked forward and saw that Bucky had left Tony, but the teen was still passed out.

Steve hefted his weight to the left and the equipment moved, the needles in his arms wiggling with the the force. He rocked the chair back and forth in a desperate attempt to unhinged the chair from the floor. He continued; metal groaning, equipment clattering, and the quick turn of a door knob.

He heard the faint click of the door just barely over the ruckus he was causing and he made the quick decision of continuing. He rather fight strapped to a chair than lie complacent as a bullet was put in his head.  
The door swung open as the chair snapped and Steve stood up, with great difficulty, and stood in the best defensive position as he could muster in his predicament.

It was Bucky.

He looked at Steve with confusion and curiosity in his eyes. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Bucky, it's me, Steve," he pleaded.

Bucky pulled a gun from his belt and aimed for Steve. He ducked and Bucky missed by a hair's width. He shot three times at him and Steve dropped to the ground and ran forward towards Bucky to avoid them.

"We're friends, don't you remember?"

Bucky grabbed him and punched him in the stomach over and over. Steve lifted his foot and brought it down hard on Bucky's foot causing Bucky to bring his foot around and sweep Steve off his feet and on to the floor. The chair still strapped to him clattered when it hit cement and its ring echoed in the room. Steve could feel the blood gushing out from where Zola had inserted the needle to draw his blood and it had gotten worse during their scuffle. "Bucky, that's Howard's son you've been with. Do you remember Howard?"

Bucky reached over and picked up Steve by the chair, throwing him back to the ground. "And that woman in the other room? It's Peggy. She's my wife now Buck. Do you remember her? From the war?"

He looked at Steve confused. Steve sighed. "It's alright if you don't remember, but I need your help. I need to escape, with Peggy and Tony. Please-"

Bucky punched him across the face. Steve spat out blood and continued. "We're with each other to the end of the line."

Bucky growled and punched him again and again; Steve could feel the bruises beginning to form on his face, chest and stomach. Steve noticed that Bucky was holding tears back and he looked confused and frustrated as he beat the living hell out of Steve. He pulled and strained against the straps restraining him and the two holding his right arm down came loose. He punched Bucky under the jaw, knocking the sniper back with the force and the shock. He quickly undid the straps holding down his other limbs.

Bucky noticed Steve was starting to escape and he charged at him, grabbing him by the waist and slamming him into the wall, causing the two to go through. Steve pushed Bucky to the side and stood up, shaking plaster and drywall off of him. Bucky came towards him again and Steve picked up a piece of the wall and smashed it against Bucky. He looked at his surroundings and noticed he was in the interrogation room that held Tony. He untied the teen and threw him over his shoulder before jumping back through the hole the two had made in the wall.

Steve felt a pull on the back of his gear and he was tossed through the glass mirror. He spat blood, spit and drywall out as he stood up and stared at Bucky. "We're friends," he shouted, "you're like a brother to me. Nothing could separate us, not even the war. You have to remember Bucky."

Bucky grabbed his head and shook it back and forth. "No, it's all lies! Stop lying to me! Hail HYDRA!" He screamed and ran towards Steve, picking him up and throwing him through the wall. He felt himself go through the plaster, the glass, the empty room before hitting part of plaster and glass again. He felt terrible when he landed, blood and bruises all over his body. He suspected he had broken something as he felt pain jutting up and down his chest. Bucky walked slowly through and stopped above him, breathing heavy and with crazed eyes. "Buck..."

An alarm sounded from somewhere in the building, loud and shrieking. Steve stood up and broke the chains holding Peggy down and gently picked her up, cradling her in his arms. He looked over and saw Bucky staring at the blood on his hands. "Bucky!" He looked up at Steve's voice. "You've got two choices: come with me or stay. What do you choose?"

Bucky looked at Steve and blinked; Steve moved to pick up Tony, but Bucky stuck his arm out. He walked forward and picked Tony up, throwing him over his shoulder before turning back to Steve and nodding.

Steve nodded back and Bucky left through the door, Steve following right behind. A group of HYDRA agents met them at the door, but Bucky simply pulled a grenade off his belt, pulled the pin out, threw it towards the crowd and ran like hell in the other direction. It was hard for Steve to catch up with Bucky, but he held Peggy tighter as Bucky broke them a path through agents and finding hidden hallways to go down when there was seemingly dead end. It was fine until-

"_остановка_!"

Bucky froze and turned around.

Steve stopped and stared at him, trying to catch his breath. "Buck, what's wrong..."

"Captain Rogers, you seem to have underestimated me," said Zola as he approached Bucky. "Though I was surprised you broke him so easily, there are only so many habits you can break in a few minutes." Zola grabbed Bucky by the front of his gear. "_бесполезный собака! Вы не смогли HYDRA! убей его_!" He roughly let go of him and Bucky stared at Steve.

"Buck, whatever he said, don't do it. Just remember," begged Steve.

Bucky pulled a knife that Steve didn't noticed was hidden in his boot and he threw it. Zola's eyes went wide with the realization there was a knife in his throat. As a reflex he fell to the ground as blood gurgled and oozed from his throat. Bucky turned back around and began to go back on their planned path. He led Steve to a hanger where they boarded a plane. Steve gently placed Peggy on a bench and he collapsed in the co-pilot's seat next to Bucky. "Thank you."

Bucky looked at him with hollow eyes, but nodded. The plane flew off and Steve, awash in adrenaline, pain and fatigue, passed out. 


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Thank you for all of those who read and I hope you enjoy. This chapter is shorter than the others but we are nearing the end. **

Chapter 13

April 21, 1987

Steve heard the beeping of a heart monitor, the smell of disinfectant heavy around him, and the low tones of hushed whispers just beyond his bed. He opened his bleary eyes and saw Fury and Howard in a heated, whispered discussion. "What's wrong?"

Howard looked over at him and sighed. "Thank God you're up." He walked over to Steve and slapped him across the face.

"Easy, Stark," warned Fury.

Howard frowned. "He deserved it."

Steve looked at the old engineer. "I did. I'm sorry I got Tony stuck in this mess. I had no intention to."

"Yeah, I know, but we have bigger problems."

Steve's heart sank. "Peggy?"

"Sergeant Barnes. We currently have him in a holding cell as he is HYDRA. He's losing his mind in there," explained Fury.

"Then take him out."

"Rogers, don't you see we can't? He may have been our friend, but now he's the enemy. We can't let him go until we know for sure." Howard paused. "And we probably won't know until Peggy wakes up."

"Peggy's still asleep," whispered Steve.

Howard looked at him with a weariness that a man much older than him should have. "We've got the scientist trying to figure out what HYDRA put them out with. Neither of them have woken up yet."

"I'm sorry, Howard."

"Yeah, well you can't change what happened."

Steve tried to get out of the hospital bed, but waves of pain overcame him.

"You're not leaving that bed anytime soon Cap. You have three broken ribs, a punctured lung and a piece of glass in your back that would have killed a normal man, not to mention all the bruises that have got to hurt like hell. A normal man would have been dead," explained Howard.

"Well, then. I guess I'm just lucky."

"More like super serum. We already have the team that was sent out to find Agent Carter working on the problem in Russia, but I want to know what happened at the HYDRA base," asked Fury.

Steve sighed. "Zola wanted a sample of my blood to analyze for the super soldier serum. I guess he had managed to make his own version, but it wasn't good enough. Whatever he was looking for he must have found because after that he had me hooked up and pouring out blood like a maple tree pouring out syrup in the winter. Bucky came in once I learned I could throw my weight against the chair and pull it from its hinges. We fought, an alarm went off and I gave him the choice of staying or leaving. We grabbed Tony and Peggy and ran like hell. He killed Zola as we stole a bird and left. After that, I've got nothing."

"Shit, how much did Zola get from you," asked Howard.

"I don't know. I passed out after a while."

Fury uncrossed his arms and headed for the door. "I'll send a team to see if they can fish any HYDRA agents from that lab, but if they're smart they'll have already left by now." Fury left Howard and Steve staring at each other, the beeping of Steve's heart monitor the only thing breaking the silence.

Howard coughed and wiggled in the seat at the end of Steve's bed. "I haven't told her. Maria," he clarified when he saw Steve's confused expression, "I figured it would be easier for her to just believe Tony's still at college. I don't think she could handle the truth."

Steve sat up. "You should tell her. What happens if Tony never wakes up? She'll be pissed if you could have told her earlier."

Howard slammed his hands against the end of the bed. "Damn it, Steve don't you think I've already thought of that!" He sank in his chair. "If Maria knew...if she knew I let our only child be put in danger. She'd probably kick me out for it and I know I deserve it." He nervously ran his hands through his hair. "I am a terrible father Steve."

"No you aren't-"

"Bullshit. We both know what you were about to say was bullshit. I'm a terrible father and there really is no use to deny it. _Jesus_, what were me and Maria thinking?"

"You wanted a kid. Is it so hard to be human, Stark?"

Howard rolled his eyes. "Yes, Star-Spangled Man with a Plan, it's hard being a genius, billionaire, father, philanthropist, and human on top of all of that. Can't you cut me some slack?"

"Stop joking Howard this is serious."

"And I'm serious too! Do you have any idea what it's like wondering if your kid's going to die or not?!"

Steve frowned. "Yes, I do."

Howard's face turned to shock. "Oh shit. Steve I didn't mean-I completely forgot-"

"Get out."

"Steve-"

"GET OUT!"

Howard flinched, but stood his ground. "How would Peggy feel if she knew? That we were fighting instead of trying to figure out what the hell was wrong with them. She'd tell us to get our heads out of our asses and get to work."

"You think you know my wife better than I do?"

Howard crossed his arms and then uncrossed them. "No, but I'm saying she wouldn't be putting up with our shit. She would have told us to put it aside and fight later when there was time. If there was time."

Steve sighed. "Do you know when they're releasing me?"

"Probably tomorrow. You were out all of yesterday, so you were able to heal faster then," explained Howard with a sigh.

"So I'll see you tomorrow?"

Howard leaned against the doorframe wearily. "Yeah, tomorrow." 


	14. Chapter 14

**A/n: Thank you to all who read, this is the second to last chapter. I can't believe it! **

Chapter 14

April 22, 1987

Steve wrapped and taped his hands tightly and methodically. Adding layer upon layer to protect his knuckles for what was to come. He grabbed a bag and hefted it over his shoulder as he walked across the empty training room. He let the chains fall on the hook and tugged at it to make sure it was secure. He stared at the plain bag before him before pulling his right fist back and punching the bag with a satisfying smack. He continued his onslaught on the bag, letting it take his pain. With one last hit it flew off the hook and Steve sighed. He grabbed another bag and put it on the hook to continue his stress relief.

SMACK. SLAP. THUMP. CLACK. CLINK. SMACK. SLAP. THUMP. CLACK. CLINK.

Steve wiped the sweat off his face with the back of his hand and continued working on the new bag.

SMACK. SLAP. THUMP. CLACK. CLINK. SMACK. SLAP. THUMP. shfshf.

Steve turned around and saw Bucky in the doorway, having only heard his small steps. Steve punched the bag again. "What are you doing here?"

Bucky sat down on a bench and began to wrap his flesh hand. "What you're doing."

The bag swung back to Steve and he stopped it so he could lean against it. "Practicing?"

"Stress relief," he mumbled back, punching his taped hand against his metal one to test it. He grabbed an extra bag and hung from a hook that was a bit away from Steve. He took a deep breath before beginning to punch the bag.

Steve watched as Bucky visibly relaxed, it wasn't long before his bag was laying on the floor next to Steve's first one. He gently gave his bag a punch and glanced over at Bucky. "Did they release you?"

Bucky put another bag on the hook and shrugged. "No."

Steve turned to look at him. "What do you mean no?"

"I mean they still think I'm in the holding cell."

"Buck, you just can't leave like that. You have to go back."

Bucky grunted and punched the bag harder. "Not my fault your guards aren't up to standard."

Steve walked over and grabbed the back and moved it so he could look Bucky in the eye. "I get that whatever they did to you was terrible and you might never get over it. I get that it must be hard to get over the fact you have been lied to for forty years. And I get that having S.H.I.E.L.D hold you feels like a betrayal from your friends, but you have to work with us."

Bucky looked at Steve and punched the bag with all the force he could muster, sending Steve back onto the mats. By the time he pushed the bag off of him Bucky was gone.

-o-O-o-

Steve looked up from his book when he heard the knock on his door. "Come in."

Howard opened the door and leaned against the frame. "You want to head down to the lab? I think we have some headway."

Steve followed Howard out of his room. "What do they think it is?"

Howard shoved his hands in his pockets. "They think they used a sedative they developed for you. We don't know how much of it they were given, but any amount of it would be almost ten times stronger than a normal sedative." He pushed open the lab doors and Steve saw two scientists working over a table; one at a microscope the other jotting notes down in a notebook. He also saw Peggy and Tony each in beds hooked up to IV's. "Right now they're working on trying to get it out of their bloodstream. They think that since you run on a higher metabolism this is going to linger longer in theirs." Howard sighed and sat at the end of Tony's bed.

"They think Tony will wake up first since he had a higher metabolism then Peggy does. They're doing everything they can. They're checking their blood every hour to see the progression of the sedative and they've done a few blood transfusions to be on the safe side."

"Whose blood are they using," murmured Steve as he let his fingers brush across Peggy's dry knuckles.

"They're using some of the blood Peggy put aside for herself, but," he rolled up his shirt sleeve exposing a cotton ball taped to his forearm, "they're getting Tony's from me."

Steve looked at Howard's expression as he rolled his shirt sleeve back down. "Go get some sleep."

Howard shook his head. "I've already missed so much of his life. I don't want to miss him waking back up."  
"Stark, don't do this to yourself. You aren't going to be good for Tony if you're passed out."

Howard groaned and stood up. "Fine, I'll go get a cookie. Happy?"

"Yes," replied Steve.

Howard left the lab to go to the cafeteria. Steve grabbed Peggy's hand feeling her dry, cold skin only reminded him that while she may physically be in front of him there was a long road ahead of them when she woke up. If she woke up.

The scientists left the room, most likely to get lunch; it was about that time. The ticking from a clock on the wall kept Steve company as he watched Tony and Peggy's chests fall up and down as they breathed. He heard the door open and saw Howard walk through, a doughnut in his right hand, a sandwich in the other. "I thought you might be hungry," he said passing it to Steve.

"Thanks," he mumbled as he took a bite. "Did you eat anything?"

"I had a sandwich in the cafeteria. They didn't have any cookies, but they did have doughnuts." He grabbed a chair and pulled it over next to Steve. "Any change?"

"No. I was wondering has anyone-"

"Dad?"

Steve and Howard looked over to the bed on the left where Tony's eyes were now open and he looked at the two. "Tony?"

He tried to sit up a little, but he groaned and let his head fall into his hand. "Damn, Uncle Steve this had better be worth it."

Steve looked to the bed on the right and he thought about Bucky somewhere in the bowels of the S.H.I.E.L.D. base. "It was Tony."

"Good, because I feel like shit and I would hate for it to be for nothing."

"We'll have to do some tests, but I'm glad you're okay," said Howard.

Tony partially grinned. "Nice to see you too Pops."

Howard leaned forward and gave Tony one of the most awkward hugs Steve had ever seen, but he noticed the relief in Tony's eyes.


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: I was going through my chapters and I realized that Chapter 16 is actually my last, so this story is not quite over yet!**

**Guest Review: **

**Guest: Thanks! These are the last chapters, so I hope I don't disappoint.**

Chapter 15

April 25, 1987

"So let me get this straight," asked Tony.

"Okay," replied Steve.

"Bucky, your best friend from the war, who fell off a train, who hasn't aged like you, was working with HYDRA, defected, and is now in a S.H.I.E.L.D. holding cell?"

"Yep."

"And the only reason you found him was because they kidnapped us so they could steal your blood."

"Uhun."

"Which is where they were holding Peggy as either bait or an incentive for you to work with them, whichever came first."

"Yes."

"So what the hell are we doing playing ping pong," asked Tony.

Steve grabbed the small white ball as it bounced back to him. "Because your dad kicked me out of the lab. He said my nervous energy was making it hard to concentrate."

"Well you really didn't leave the lab yesterday. It kind of made it impossible for them to do anything. Don't get me wrong, Dad said she should wake up anytime, but still you can only do so much if you just sit there."

"She's my wife. She did the same for me. Shouldn't you be at school?"

Tony shrugged his shoulders. "Dad was going to send me back, but I told him I wasn't leaving until Aunt Peggy woke up. End of story."

Steve bounced the little white ball on the table top before serving it across the small net. "The agents sent out to Russia came back saying the issue has been taken care of. The agents sent to clean out the HYDRA base came back saying it had already burnt to the ground by the time they got there."

"Sounds like they had something important."

Steve bounced the ball back to Tong and his thoughts drifted to Bucky. "Or maybe we took the only important thing with us."

Fast paced footsteps sprinted down the hallway and Howard slid into view from the doorway. "Steve...Peggy's awake," he panted.

Steve dropped the ping pong paddle and pushed Howard aside as he ran down the hallway, weaving between trainees and older agents to get down to the lab. He rounded the corner, nearly flattening a tech who dropped all of the paperwork he was carrying in a spectacular flurry of crisp white sheets. Steve grabbed the doorframe to the lab and used his momentum to make the corner so he was facing Peggy's bed. "Peggy," he whispered softly.

She smiled and patted an empty spot on her bed. "Come over."

He grinned and sat down next to her. He grabbed her hand and placed his other on top of it, glad to feel that it was warmer. "How are you?"

"I've been better. Steve is it true? Did you find Bucky," she asked in a low whisper.

Steve looked around the room and noticed that the doctors that had been in the room left; no doubt feeling they were intruding on the husband and wife's reunion. "Yes."

Peggy nodded. "I thought it was him."

Steve's eyebrows knitted together. "What do you mean you thought it was him?"

She looked at him with a twinkle in her eye. "I knew from the beginning that someone was tailing me. At first I thought it might be a Black Widow, but then I saw the red star. When I finally confronted him I was in shock really. It isn't every day you see a ghost from your past." She laughed harshly. "It only makes since that an old friend could take me down. These young kids don't know what they're doing. And it even took a bit for me to fall. We were both putting up one hell of a fight."

Steve rubbed his thumb in circles on her palm. "How'd he get you?"

She grimaced and pulled up her shirt revealing a scar on her stomach. "Bullet. He looked shocked when he actually did it. Apparently his orders were to bring me in alive and he thought he had killed me. They patched me up, but Steve-" she paused and fell silent, looking down at their hands on his leg, "the things they did to Bucky. To punish him. No wonder he's lost his mind. They made me watch to make sure I wouldn't escape or alert you too soon to my location." She closed her eyes and let her head hang. "The moment I noticed they took my rings I knew they wanted to make you mad. They wanted to provoke you. I knew there was something they wanted."

Steve let go of her hands and lifted her head up with his hands. He kissed her softly. "It's okay. We're okay. Hurting you must have set Bucky off. Nobody has been able to get him to talk. He said a few things to me, but not enough for Fury to be satisfied and release him. Until he talks he'll be kept under S.H.I.E.L.D. surveillance."  
"Steve, that's not how anyone should live."

"I know Peg, but it took all my authority not to have him killed on sight."

She set her mouth in a firm line. "I'll handle this."

"Peggy, you just woke up," argued Steve.

"We both know I'm one of S.H.I.E.l.D.'s top interrogators. Let me talk with him tomorrow. You might find you've all have just been going about it the wrong way. Will it be possible for you to get the reports from Fury?"  
Steve nodded and kissed her forehead. "If it'll help."

Peggy grabbed Steve's hand and laced her fingers between his. "Yes."

"Hey lovebirds! The docs out here want to know if they can come back in," shouted Howard through the doorway.

Steve rolled his eyes. "Stark."

"You're good guys," relied Howard to the doctors outside.

Peggy gave Steve a quick peck on the lips. "Go get some sleep. Knowing you, you have gotten absolutely none."

Steve smiled. "Only because it's you, Agent Carter."

She smirked. "Hop to it, Captain Rogers."

He walked through the doorway with a smile, hoping there was no reason for the nightmares to plague him anymore.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: I feel bad for leaving you guys hanging for so long, but for those still reading, here is the final chapter. **

Chapter 16

April 26, 1987

"She's only just woke up. This shouldn't be authorized," grumbled Fury.

"Funny how you're the new director," mumbled Howard.

"Don't get snarky with me Stark, we need answers and if this is the only way we're going to get them, then I'm going to let Agent Carter do whatever the hell it takes to get them."

Steve crossed his arms and looked at his best friend's bored expression as he stared at the one-way mirror from the brightly lit interrogation room. "Do you think Peggy will get Bucky to talk?"

The three men watched as Peggy walked calmly through the door of the integration room, the stark light picking up the grey hairs littered through her chestnut hair. She had changed into her S.H.I.E.L.D. gear, and with the expression on her face she was intimidating. She threw a file on the table Bucky was handcuffed to, not that it would stop him from escaping, and she sat down in the chair across from him. Peggy opened up the file, pulling out a photo. She said something, but Bucky didn't respond. She moved a bit in the seat and said something else. Bucky stared at her in shock and started talking to her rapidly.

"What did she do," asked Howard shocked.

"I have no idea," replied Fury in awe at the woman on the other side of the glass.

Steve cocked his head to the left and shrugged his shoulders. "She is the best."

"Yeah, but he's HYDRA. They're trained to die instead of crack. What's so special about him or her," asked Fury.

"I wouldn't peg him as HYDRA so quick Director. You didn't know Bucky like I did. There's got to be a reason."

The three men continued to watch Peggy and Bucky talk back and forth, occasionally she would point out a picture, always ready encase it took a nasty turn. She smiled and grabbed the folder off of the desk and gave him a hug before she left the room.

"I have to know what the hell she did," said Howard in disbelief.

Peggy entered the room with a small smile on her face. "I think I have what you want boys."

"What did you do Agent Carter," asked Fury.

She handed the file over to Steve. "Nothing special."

Howard crossed his arms. "Nothing special? We had three other interrogators try to crack him. Hell, even Steve barely got him to say anything, but that was probably because it was on his terms."

She leaned against a desk, letting her hands rest on it. "I started in English, but I quickly realized that wasn't going to go anywhere. I switched to Russian and he gave me all the answers."

Howard snorted. "Really?"

She rolled her eyes. "Yes, Stark. I asked him about it. Apparently he has few recollections previous to his capture by HYDRA. Only enough to know that you, I, and Steve are his friends. He was trained in Russia while HYDRA was trying to regroup. He even helped train some of the Black Widow operatives. He has few memories from inside the program and after the way he was treated I wouldn't be surprised if he had his memories wiped. He couldn't give me any information about HYDRA, but from what he said it sounds like without Zola it's going to take them awhile to regroup, even if they manage to." She looked behind her shoulder at Bucky through the one-way mirror. "It's going to take a while for him to adjust. I suggest he see a specialist," she looked over at Howard, "but I'm sure you want to get a good look at his arm."

Howard's eyes lit up. "Can you imagine the mind of the person who was able to fabricate that? The interior workings have to be a thing of beauty."

"I would have preferred it covering HYDRA's floor," muttered Fury.

"If anything, he needs to get used to what it means to be human again. He's only used to following orders. It's a miracle you were able to convince him to come here. For now let him have a room on base, but let him explore a bit. If he feels too cramped he might try and flee."

"We can make the arrangements," promised Fury.

"But what happens once he recovers," asked Howard.

"He'd make a good agent," suggested Steve.

"We'll cross that bridge when it comes," said Fury. "Now if you excuse me I have some paperwork to fill out and to get Barnes out of there."

"So can we talk to him in English," asked Howard.

"Yes, he just might be a bit standoffish. He's been used to Russian for so long he's become more comfortable with it," explained Peggy.

Howard looked at his watch. "Jarvis should be here soon. You guys need a lift to your Brooklyn apartment?"

The couple exchanged a look. "No thanks Stark, I think we're fine for now," said Peggy.

"Suit yourself," he replied as he left.

Steve grabbed Peggy's hand. "I'm glad you're back."

"I'm glad too."

He leaned down to kiss her and he felt her lips move up in a smile. They might have a long road ahead of them, especially with helping Bucky adjust to this new modern age, but they'd be fine since love triumphed over mind.


End file.
